Kimkim Trip Reviews

We had a fantastic trip , very well planned , no stone left unturned . All the people we met were amazing , accommodation wonderful , no complaints , would definetly recommend

Lucy created a perfect 19-day trip to Vietnam. There were 6 people in our group, and we all had specific things that we wanted to do on the trip and she made it all happen. The accommodations were nice, with good locations and breakfasts. The guides and drivers all showed up on time and made tours and transfers effortless.
Thank you to Lucy and her team for coordinating our wonderful trip!

Hotel Reviews

Mekong Rustic Can Tho

This hotel is tucked back deep into the little village off the main road, and the grounds are beautiful. Very nice staff, and good food cooked on site. The friendly puppies and kitties were a special bonus!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Pretty remote, so plan to stay on property unless you make transportation arrangements.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Siesta Classic Hang Thung

Great location, warm pool, good spa services and amazing breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy to walk around Old town and to the Night Market.

Staff

Wonderful staff!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Acnos Grand Hotel

Ho Chi Minh

Great location and staff. They even had a to-go breakfast ready for us when we had to go to the airport early.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Doris Cruise

This was a fun addition to our trip. The rooms were nice and staff was lovely. We didn’t have very good weather but still got to kayak, swim and bike, too.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Our porter was Vu, and he was so good we wanted to take him with us on the rest of the trip!😊

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Charm Hoi An Hotel & Spa

This hotel was in a great location, and we enjoyed the breakfast and the pool, and even borrowed their bikes to go to the beach! We loved Hoi An so much!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy walk to the market and lantern street.

Staff

Wonderful staff!

Cleanliness & Comfort

New Livitrans Train

A great experience!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

It’s a train!

Le Clos Du Fil Hotel

Ninh Binh

Nice authentic hotel with good location and breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Was able to walk just down the narrow drive to bars and restaurants.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sin Chai Ecolodge

Gorgeous views! Beautiful wooden bath tubs!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cherish Hue

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Walk To The Love Waterfall And Heaven Gate

Sapa

This was a fun place to see. Nam was a good guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat trip to Tam Coc , Mua Cave Climb and Cycling

Vietnam

Be ready for lots of steps, but it’s fun and totally worth it!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trek to Lech Dzao & Thanh Kim Villages

Sapa

A great trek through the farmland valley. Nam and some local village women walked us from on tribe village to another.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Saigon By Night - Vintage Vespa Street Food Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

So fun! Just do it!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Touch the History of Former Imperial Capital - Hue Full Day Sightseeing

Hue

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visiting Hanoi Local Life - Food tour

Hanoi

Wonderful experience!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great guide! (Mr Ningh)

Transport

We learned how to walk on the busy streets, and took a fun cyclo ride.

Cycling At Viet Hai Village – Kayaking – Swimming (Doris Cruise 3D2N)

Ha Long Bay

Fun day! Make sure you find the fish pond in the village for a fishy “pedicure”!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi Half Day City Tour & Train Street

Hanoi

Mr Ningh took us to interesting places, and the eggs coffee and Train Street are not to be missed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lan Ha Bay – Dark & Bright Cave – Disembark Cruise (Doris Cruise)

Ha Long Bay

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ninh Binh - Halong bay - Lan Ha Bay ( Doris cruise)

Ha Long Bay

Vu was our porter and took good care of us. Despite bad weather we went swimming, kayaking and bike riding and had a great time!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hoi An Sightseeing and Food Tour ( Afternoon)

Hoi An

Great tour. Mr Robert even arranged an acupuncture session for us!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cycling in Cam Thanh & Thanh Dong Organic Farm Visit

Vietnam

Really fun bike ride, a fantastic lunch, and our guide Mango was one of the best on our entire trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall very pleased. Tour guide’s English at times was difficult to understand. Interesting that all our female guides English was excellent. Only glitch was not getting the correct room in Hanoi the first four days we were there. Loved the Vespa tour with Ang, Trevor, and Brian! Too many multi course lunches. Next time we would do lunches all on our own to discover more local food.
Our travel specialist, Minh, was super helpful and listened to all my requests or changes in our itinerary. The accommodations were lovely, clean, quiet with good breakfast buffets.
Thank you Kimkim for taking the worries out of our trip! ❤️ Sincerely Katherine and Rick

Hotel Reviews

Furama Resort Danang

Great location and place to recover from long flights. Excellent rooms and buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right on the water. Lovely views.

Staff

All helpful and friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything

Pu Luong Retreat

Thanh Hoa

Such a magical spot. After a long drive up the mountain we were rewarded with an amazing view of the countryside. Looking out on rice fields from our balcony was so mesmerizing.

Authenticity & Character

Nestled on the mountainside it’s a magical spot.

Location

It’s quite a hike to cottage but staff is available to help.

Staff

Welcoming and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Siesta Hoi An Resort & Spa

Quảng Nam

Amazing location just out of town. Quiet beautiful landscaping. Great food.

Authenticity & Character

Room spacious and quiet.

Staff

All staff friendly and kind.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Senna Hue Hotel

Lovely hotel and grounds. Right in city but room quiet. Delicious food.

Authenticity & Character

Not sure how authentic but it was beautiful and very classy.

Staff

Everyone

Cleanliness & Comfort

Can’t recall.

Hanoi Pearl Hotel

Hanoi

Initially placed in wrong room but manager, Kevin, came to our room to apologize and offer compensation for mix up. We changed to upgraded room. Back now for two nights in Terrace Room-lovely.

Authenticity & Character

Not authentic but great hotel on “quieter” street close to many places of interest.

Staff

They were a the door acknowledging our return or letting us out. Friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hanoi is a busy city. Hanoi Pearl is located on a side street so not as crazy as other streets. Close to the lake and many roof top bars, which are very fun.

Tam Coc Garden Resort

Ninh Binh

Not fair out of Ninh Binh but seems miles away. Small outside sitting area to see countryside. Nice pool area. The best food!

Authenticity & Character

Rices fields outside hotel viewed from restaurant balcony at breakfast mesmerizing.

Staff

Very welcoming and informative. Also make excellent vodka tonics!

Cleanliness & Comfort

View of rice fields from cottage just lovely. Make you exhale.

Renea Cruise

We had larger room with small balcony. The tender was often tied up below our room so fumes were and issue. It was an amazing trip through Ha Long Bay!

Authenticity & Character

Wooden boat, small group, less that 25 people-11 rooms. Kayaking was such a quiet to experience our surroundings. Kenny was the MC of our trip and great at his job.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mattresses need replacing. Have tender boat driver turn off boat when docked next to cruise ship.

Activity Reviews

Da Nang Arrival

Da Nang

Tour guide, Loan, met us outside the airport. Even though our time with her was short she was wonderful about sharing information about DaNang.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Loan is great!

Transport

Picked up and dropped off was seamless.

Danang - Marble Mountain - Hoi An

Vietnam

Was amazing to see all the statues.

Hanoi After Dark Street Food on Vespa (Group Tour)

Hanoi

This is a must do. We rode with “ The ride of Your Life” Ang was our guide and Trevor and Brian our drivers. What a blast! Yummy food. Amazing being in the traffic but we felt safe with our drivers. Train street was so fun. Touring around Hanoi on a scooter was great!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer to Pu Luong Nature Reserve & Hike

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Food

Too many multi course lunches serving same food. We would have liked to eat at small, non tourist local restaurants. The buffet breakfasts at every hotel were good.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Minh was our driver for several days. We communicated with translation app. We was always waiting for us. Tee was our guide for several days in the countryside. He challenged us with a few hikes but it was worth it. Beautiful scenery.

Transport

On time, clean cars, competent drivers.

See Hue Heritages & Local Handicraft Villages

Hue

So interesting hiking from village to village through the rice fields. Incredibly beautiful.

Hidden trails of Pu Luong (Don village)

Pu Luong Nature Reserve

Amazing countryside.

Despite a bit of an uphill climb in the early stages of planning and booking, once we were booked the KimKim team really take care of all the details. Their proactive follow-ups and engagement with the local services and guides were excellent and everything went off incredibly smoothly. A special thanks to Liz, our coordinator, her suggestions on the activities in Paris were 5-star amazing and perfectly laid out for the duration of our stay. She set the stage perfectly for what we could accomplish and get the most out of a short 4 night stay. We all walked away from the trip having felt we learned so much about Paris, the French Revolution, and history of the city, now we look forward to going back again to explore further. The hotel location was excellent, and really had us in the heart of what we were looking to experience in the form of an authentic Paris neighbourhood with families and young couples. There were lots of authentic dining options close buy, and the most amazing collection of local bakeries, cheese shops, and wine shops all within 5 min of the hotel. Great work KimKim and Thank You Liz!!

Activity Reviews

Eiffel Tower Guided Tour with Summit Access via Elevator

Paris

Entertaining guide, and critical to have if you want to get to the top of the tower. We were fortunate that our timing was righ around sunset and we left the tower just as the 5 min light show started with a beautiful pink sky background. Amazing way to start out time in Paris.

Private French Revolution Walking Tour For All Ages

Paris

Fantastic guide and fascinating journey through the history of France's monarchies with their impact on Paris. The tour really revealed the nature of how the French Revolution impacted the western world and many of the things we take for granted today. It was also an amazing foundation to understand Paris and many of her sights. Highly recommend as a day 1 activity for any trip to Paris.

Palace of Versailles Day Trip

Paris

Excellent guide and we would not have been able to understand the true history and context of Versailles without his expert knowledge walking us through the history and meaning of each component of the Palace. Of particular interest were the paintings and frescos throughout the royal apartments. Our guide took the time to point out the meaning of all of the different pieces of art, and how they played a role within the royal court. Overall Versailles is beyond imagination in its scale and impact.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Car service from the hotel to the guide was seamless and perfectly coordinated in a very comfortable 'black' car.

This was our second trip to Costa Rica with Bryan as our local planning specialist. As the first time, Bryan and the entire kimkim were excellent to deal with. Our three days in Corcovado were exciting and memorable. The Corcovado Wilderness Lodge had incredible and dedicated staff. I'd like to mention Luis, Borman, and Orlando as being extraordinary, although everyone there was wonderful. The hikes and snorkeling to Cano Island were the highlights of the trip. Then we were off to Uvita where we stayed at the beautiful Golden Pineapple. The staff which included Marlin, Marlin, Pablo, and Leo were all very accommodating and attentive. The only negative was that we really weren't given the option of planning excursions ahead of time in Uvita even though we inquired about this in our planning phase of the trip. What this meant in practical terms is that when we arrived in Uvita around noon we had to scramble to make plans for the afternoon and the next day. Our arrival day, Tuesday, was disappointing. We went to Whaletail Beach and it was ok, but we didn't need to spend an afternoon there. Wednesday was much better because we went to the Nauyaca falls. Overall, we had to do much too much work at this stop and it was very hit or miss. The Dantica Cloud Forrest Trail was invigorating and challenging and we enjoyed it very much. The drivers, pickups, and drop-offs were impeccable as we've come to expect of kimkim. Wilman at Serendipity Adventures was literally in touch with us daily making certain that everything was going well. He was an absolute pleasure to deal with. Also, a quick shout-out to our driver Alex who drove us from Dantica Cloud Lodge to the San Jose Airport. I enjoyed speaking with him and he made the 2.5 hour drive pass quickly. Overall it was a great vacation with the exception of the lack of planning in Uvita. I definitely recommend kimkim and Serendipity Adventures highly.

Hotel Reviews

Golden Pineapple Villas

Uvita

The Golden Pineapple Villas in Uvita were lovely, but a bit too remote and isolated for my liking. The accommodations were nice, and the staff was very pleasant, but they didn't offer much in the way of planning or activities. It felt like we were on our own to figure out things to do, and given the location, that was a challenge. We ended up scrambling to find activities and, unfortunately, wasted quite a bit of time.

Dantica Cloud Forest Lodge

Copey

Dantica Cloud Forest Lodge was okay. The service was nice, and although the place itself didn't stand out significantly, it was fine for a short stay. It met our basic needs for sure!

Activity Review

The Golden Pineapple is an ideal retreat for relaxation

Uvita

The Golden Pineapple is indeed an ideal retreat for relaxation if you're into lounging by the pool, but that wasn't what I was looking for. We were more active travelers and found the lack of planning and activities a bit frustrating. For those who enjoy just laying back and enjoying the scenery, it might be fantastic, but we were left wanting more structure and options.

I have always traveled with an established tour group, so this was my first venture into a personalized tour. The idea of this vague, on-line platform made me nervous. I was quite worried before the trip, but all my worries were for naught. It was an incredible tour from start to finish.

First, our specialist Lacey was beyond phenomenal. Even though we're half a world apart, she was so responsive to our questions and always replied quickly. We made numerous adjustments throughout the planning stages, but she was kind, courteous and upbeat from start to finish even though I'm sure we drove her crazy. She had excellent suggestions and followed through consistently on any of our questions or concerns. We also had the privilege of meeting her in Hanoi (her home base) during our visit (one of the highlights of the trip). I would like to add that she remained in touch with us throughout the tour and made sure everything went as planned. When the airlines switched our flight time, she made all the arrangements necessary to get us to the plane on time.

Were there a few glitches on this trip? Certainly. That's the nature of international travel. Would I have changed a few things in hind sight? Certainly. But overall, the trip was flawless. With the exception of 2 guides who were less than wonderful (one simply didn't feel good and probably should have requested a substitute and the other simply wasn't much of a guide -- more of an escort who got us to all the places we needed to be without any explanation).

But we also had two of the best guides I've ever had. Our Cambodian guide (Set) and driver (Buhan) were marvelous. They treated us like queens. I highly recommend them for anyone traveling to Cambodia. And the best of all was Ae in Bangkok. I don't think I have words to describe how incredibly wonderful she was. She wanted us to love her country as much as she did, and she succeeded. She had the most incredible smile always, was constantly handing us a new food or treat to try, and shared personal stories that allowed us to totally experience her culture. I've kept her photo because it makes me smile every time I see it.

So thank you Kimkim. To my great surprise, I would work with you again on another trip to somewhere else in this magnificent world we live in. Thank you for putting us in touch with a local travel specialist who would design a custom tour.

My wife and I just returned from an unforgettable 7-night trip to Sri Lanka, and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. We booked through Kimkim, and Dhanushka did an outstanding job creating an itinerary that perfectly balanced nature, culture, and historic sites.
From the start, Kapila, our guide and driver for the entire trip, was nothing short of exceptional. His wealth of knowledge about Sri Lanka’s history, culture, and natural beauty was incredible, and his driving skills made us feel safe and comfortable throughout our journey. Kapila went above and beyond to ensure that we had the best possible experience and was always looking out for our needs.
One of the trip highlights was the village safari, where we had the opportunity to interact with the locals and learn about traditional cooking methods. We had the chance to watch the villagers prepare a delicious pumpkin curry along with other local dishes. It was such a unique and hands-on experience, and the food was absolutely delicious!
Overall, the trip was a perfect mix of adventure, culture, and relaxation. We’re grateful for Kimkim, Dhanushka, and especially Kapila for making this trip so memorable.

As is usual with KimKim trips, everything went extremely well with my visit to Croatia.
My guide Robi was excellent with his itinerary planning to all the hotel and site visitations.
I enjoed every minute.

Myself and my wife arranged a trip to CostaRica via Kimkim and Serendipity Adventures. We had a great time. Our experience was wonderful. All our arrangements including all stays, transportations and trips were done very well. We didn’t have to worry about any of these. They stayed in touch throughout the trip to ensure everything went smoothly. All the staff we encountered were extremely nice . Thank you !

I thought that the planning of the trip and the excursions were excellent. I also felt that the itinerary provided was done very well and was very straightforward and structured.

I also enjoyed the hotel picks.

What I didn’t like was the lack of support I received when there were disruptions to my itinerary due to weather. The individual I had to deal with (Joaquin) was not helpful and was not willing to work with me to get things back on track. I found his communication to be rude and unprofessional - so much so that I had to escalate to get the support I needed.

We loved our trip to Sri Lanka. Rikaz helped us build a perfect itinerary, mixing wildlife, nature treks and hikes, cultural experiences and sites, and much more! Would highly recommend booking your trip with Rikaz.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
We spend 1.5 days in Hikkaduwa as we wanted to end the trip on the beach. Although it is gorgeous, it is EXTREMELY touristy, and the hotel we stayed at (Hikka Tranz) was probably our least favorite hotel of the trip (although we did not see any better options in the area). Therefore, if you want to go to the beach, I would consider doing some research to find other less crowded beaches with the same scenery.

Moonika planned an amazing trip that my family will never forget. She knew our overall goal was to try and see the northern lights so she selected locations and experiences that would help give us the best chances and we did see it!!! My parents bucket list item was fulfilled. All the other experiences just further enhanced the trip. My dad’s favorite experience was arctic crabbing in Norway. My sisters favorite was husky sleigh ride. My mom’s favorite was of course the northern lights. While my favorite experience was the reindeer farm and Sami experience.

All the accommodations were perfect. My mom didn’t want to leave the boutique hotel. I love that Moonika chose local guides and experiences. They were all fantastic. I’ve already recommended Moonika to several extended family members!

Hotel Reviews

Haawe Boutique Apart Hotel

Rovaniemi

One of the best hotel experiences! The room is beautiful and luxurious. The breakfast food provided was perfect. My parents never wanted to leave the hotel. The location is also in a perfect location, close to many things.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Holiday Village Inari

Inari

The place is beautiful and cozy. The breakfast spread was delicious. We loved the ceiling view. The one suggestion we have is if there’s an option to be alerted to the northern lights.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Reindeer Park Visit

Inari

Such a fun experience feeding the reindeer! Our Sami guide was very knowledgeable and open to sharing her experiences.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Emerson arranged the trip and everything went as planned. Every detail was as described. The drivers arrived on time, the activities were varied and wonderful. Specifically: cross country skiing in Akaslompolo was spectacular...there is nothing like the vast network of trails here, in the USA. We went on a daytime snowshoe trip and two Northern Lights van trips with Beyond Artic. On the first Northern Lights trip, the driver drove an hour and and half trying to get the group to a good viewing area...we saw the Lights, but the sky was cloudy. The next night was beyond spectacular. Standing on a frozen lake, we saw the Aurora 360 degrees around us and above.
Two other trips were wonderful: a nighttime snow shoe trek on wood skis with a nature guide. James from Green Trek showed us animal tracks, vegetation and trees. The trip to the Reindeer Farm was alot of fun. We spent alot of time feeding the reindeer, learning about them and each of us got in a sled alone to "drive" a reindeer on a short trip.
Oh--the Northern Lights Ranch in Levi was also outstanding. Alk three of us were thrilled with the whole trip.

It is not kimkim practice to provide their clients/travelers with an itemized list of cost breakdown, so we had no idea how much we paid for things. Kimkim agents would not share the cost of anything when we asked either.

Once the trip is booked through kimkim, no matter how far in advance you cancel and no matter what happens, you cannot get a refund for anything. Unforseen circumstances always arise when traveling, so it is aggravating that kimkim does not have any flexibility on this whatsoever. This also makes the travellers feel taken advantage of by kimkim.

We were unaware that a couple of our hotels recommended and booked by kimkim did not allow flushing of toilet paper down the toilet. We have never been to Thailand before, so this isn't something we even knew we should be aware of. If we knew this, we never would have booked these hotels... It is concerning and upsetting that our travel agent did not let us know about this in advance. To note, it is your job as a travel agent to provide as many details to your clients as possible and to be 100% transparent (which ironically kimkim prides itself for on its website). Although there was supposedly nothing wrong with either hotel per kimkim standards, there was definitely something wrong with both of our hotels chosen by kimkim per our standards. It was entirely kimkim's fault for ill-advising us regarding these hotels, yet my husband and I were the ones who were forced to pay for two additional hotels. This cost us a ton of money unexpectedly and we suffered needlessly at the hands of kimkim. This situation could easily have been avoided if our travel agent Mint had just communicated clearly with us in the first place. Kimkim has done nothing thus far to ameliorate this situation for us.

Google reviews of hotels were seemingly not taken into account. Kimkim books with specific hotels and bases their suggestions off past user experiences rather than booking only with highly rated hotels. (Online ratings are extremely important!!! They provide more of an objective lens as well as a much larger sample size). Our hotel in Phuket that kimkim booked for us had a plethora of poor google reviews, but kimkim's excuse for booking this place was "most of our clients enjoyed their stay here".

There was a major pickup confusion/hassle to which kimkim did nothing. We had switched hotels in Chiang Mai on 10-Mar in early afternoon and were told by our travel agent Mint that all parties were notified of this change. However, come 11-Mar, we were supposed to be picked up at 8am but weren't picked up until 9am because the driver was completely unaware what hotel we were at. He went to 1-2 different hotels before getting the right one. He called me twice because he was so confused, and he thought we had just switched hotels that morning. It was frustrating because we rushed to get ready by 8am and then waited for 60 min in the lobby. We were not given any sort of discount or refund for this inconvenience. Kimkim didn't even apologize.

We are not given contact info for any of the drivers. So, if any issues arise (which they did), we are not able to contact them. We are forced to take a roundabout way of communication by contacting our kimkim specialist who then contacts the driver. This is not time-effective. Also, kimkim has no idea what the situation actually is because they aren't there. It makes no sense why kimkim can contact the driver but we as the travelers cannot.

We dealt with frequent late pick-ups with NO communication from kimkim. For example, 13-Mar in Chiang Mai we are told to be ready for pick up at 9am. We rush through breakfast to be ready and in the lobby by 9am. At 915am, I text the travel agent (since I don't have driver contact info) if the driver is here. Travel agent Mint replies at 916am and says the driver is on their way. 930am rolls around and we are still in the lobby with no updates from anyone. I texted Mint again because the driver still hadn't arrived. Mint said she would call the driver. After several minutes, we hadn't had any updates again, so I texted Mint once again asking what happened with the driver. She replied and said this was, to our surprise, a joint pickup and the driver said there "was traffic" (which we knew to be a lie- kimkim had no idea). Regardless of the excuse and regardless of the situation, this delay should have been communicated with us by either the driver or kimkim ASAP so we were not sitting around waiting for almost an hour, wasting our time.

The kimkim itinerary specifically says pickup at "9am". When it reached 915am and we still hadn't received any updates and the driver hadn't arrived, we texted our kimkim agent who said "pickup is actually 9-930am"... A time range is MUCH different than one set time, so why weren't we notified of this range whatsoever when it directly affected us?

Kimkim randomly springing on us that we are riding with a bunch of random strangers when our itinerary has only included private transfers thus far and only finding that out the day of minutes before we were picked up is extremely inconvenient, not to mention inconsiderate.

We needed passport # for ziplining as well as our passport picture for the elephant sanctuary, but neither one of these were on the kimkim itinierary and kimkim did not warn us about this. Thankfully, we already had our passport pics on our phones by some miracle and were able to participate in the activities without issue (with no thanks to kimkim).

Without giving us any prior notice or heads up, our kimkim contact for 2 weeks (Mint) randomly texted us one day 5 min before one of our flights took off and told us to contact someone else going forward because she's "going to be off for a while"... Is this how kimkim's supposed 100% transparency really works?

Neither travel agent EVER checked in with us. This should be the BARE MINIMUM and common sense as a travel agent... To ensure things are on time, that things are going smoothly, that your clients (us) are having a good time and are alive... Both our travel agents Mint and Tina only responded to texts we sent them; they never once checked in on us independently. The last few days of our trip, they went completely dark- we literally didn't hear from them at all. They didn't even wish us well or safe travels (which, literal strangers did for us, but our own travel agents didn't?!). We don't feel cared for or respected by kimkim whatsoever.

Kimkim specifically said our Day 15 (March 17) activity was a "small group". However, we boarded the boat with well over 20 people which is, by definition, not a small group. Not to mention, our "small" group interacted with a ton of other groups, taking away any perceived or possible intimacy of a small group setting.

Our boat island tour on 17-Mar took us to Bamboo Island for 1.5 hours where there were no functional bathrooms and both the beach and the water were oversaturated with people. Additionally, the fish were extremely aggressive and bit me multiple times even though I was calmly and quietly floating on the surface of the water. This day was the absolute WORST by far and honestly one of the worst travel days I've ever had in my life. How could kimkim recommend such a terrible experience?

Hotel quality seemed to differ quite a bit between cities for no apparent reason... For instance, kimkim's chosen hotel in Bangkok (Valia Hotel) was super new, super fancy, 5-star, and highly rated. However, kimkim's chosen hotel in Phuket (The Charm Resort) was 4-star and not too highly rated.

Overall, my husband and I are quite dissatisfied with kimkim and, as it stands, will not book with kimkim again or recommend them to anyone. I am no travel agent, but I am confident I could have planned a better and cheaper trip for my husband and myself with many less hassles. If anyone with access to Google can plan a successful international trip, what makes kimkim stand out? What can they do specially that I can't just do myself? Communication from our kimkim agents was severely lacking for the entire trip duration- so much so that it was easy to forget we even had travel agents. It seemed pretty evident that they didn't care about us. Kimkim prides themselves on 100% customer satisfaction and 100% transparency, yet neither of these things were true during our trip. Such a major disappointment.

Hotel Reviews

Phka Chan Hotel

Siem Reap

My husband and I had a fantastic stay here. Rooms were clean, food was delicious, staff were extremely kind and accommodating, beautiful balcony overlooking the pool, bathrooms were nice, shower water temperature & pressure good, great location, included breakfast was awesome- the noodle soup here was our favorite breakfast food on our entire trip. Bottled water is complimentary. It did take us a bit to figure out the AC (not self explanatory), but once we did it worked fine. Would definitely recommend and would stay here again!

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful scenery, nice pool, nice rooms.

Location

Right next to the bustling main street with tons of restaurants and shops. However, it is still quiet.

Staff

The staff here went above and beyond to ensure we were comfortable and had everything we needed. For instance, my husband has dietary restrictions and staff were extremely accommodating and made sure he had plenty to eat. They even made edits to menu items to accommodate for him.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were large and very clean. Beds were comfortable.

Valia Hotel Bangkok

Bangkok

Overall, my husband and I had a good stay here. Clean rooms, amazing large bathrooms, decent food, large breakfast buffet, kind staff, excellent water pressure and temperature, comfy beds, excellent AC, good location. The rooms are a bit small.

Staff

Staff were accommodating and kind.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean. Comfortable beds.

Banthai Village

Chiang Mai

We didn't end up staying here. Much to our surprise, they do not allow flushing of any toilet paper- this was the biggest issue for us. We only found this out upon our arrival at the hotel. The AC unit blows air directly onto the bed which is uncomfortable. The floors are extremely slippery. The shower water didn't seem like it could get hot enough. Although it seems quaint, it was not for us. Knowing what we know now, we never would have allowed kimkim to book this place.

Location

Although it was relatively quiet, it is a walk to get to any restaurant or downtown.

Rock & Treehouse Resort

I picked this place after doing some research, and I was overall not disappointed in my choice. Beds could be a bit comfier but they were fine. Rooms were relatively large with beautiful views and wildlife abundant. Huge and awesome balcony. AC worked fine. Water temperature was good. Water pressure in shower was severely lacking at times, but only momentarily. Breakfast was lacking- very small and not many options. Staff were kind and accommodating. Food was delicious. We loved that you can book excursions through the hotel- we did the half-day jungle trek at Khao Sok National Park and it was one of our favorite experiences on this entire trip. The biggest con was that the window shades don't close all the way. They do have a pool but it is small. Would recommend and would stay here again!

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful scenery and wildlife abundant. Most of the walls of the rooms are huge windows. Really feels like a jungle resort.

Location

Very quaint and quiet location surrounded by jungle and wildlife. 5 min drive from Khao Sok National Park and ~10 min walk into small town with cafes, restaurants, and shops.

Staff

Staff were kind and accommodating.

The Charm Resort Phuket

We didn't end up staying here. This hotel does not allow flushing of any toilet paper- this was a huge issue for us. In addition, multiple Google ratings mention dirty rooms, poor water pressure, and poor water temperature. Knowing what we know now, we would not have allowed kimkim to book this hotel for us.

Activity Reviews

Phi Phi island, Bamboo Island, Pi Leh lagoon & Maya bay by speedboat

Phuket

If we could rate this 0 stars, we would. This was one of the worst travel experiences we've ever had (and we are long-time world travelers). Kimkim had on the itinerary that this was a "small group" activity; however, it turns out that this was actually a large group of well over 20 people. Not to mention, our group interacted with countless other large groups so there was no intimacy whatsoever. Every single place we went was absolutely packed full of tourists. At Maya Bay, you could barely walk because there were so many people. We were given the option to go swimming at Pi Leh Lagoon, but there were so many boats and so many people that you barely had any room to swim. Bamboo Island was no different- the snorkeling area was overwhelmed with bodies. It was absolutely horrible. It took an entire hour via boat one way to get anywhere. Not only is this travel time excessive, but it wasn't worth the experiences. The fish at Bamboo Island were extremely aggressive. I was bit multiple times even though I was quietly and peacefully floating at the water's surface. The bathroom situation for this excursion was horrible. There were literally no functional bathrooms on Bamboo Island and we were stuck there for 1.5 hours (and no soap/hand sani or toilet paper). Maya Bay bathrooms were overcrowded and had no soap or hand sanitizer. The boat did not have any bathrooms. Snorkeling was a major let down for so many reasons. Note: We've been snorkeling before at world-class snorkel sites and are not beginners. Firstly, the equipment sucked. The mouthpiece was faulty and water kept filling your mouth and the snorkeling tube. They didn't use any defogging material either so after about 5 seconds your goggles would fog up and you couldn't see anything. They didn't supply you with flippers. They didn't give a snorkeling lesson whatsoever, so most people were splashing around and swimming loudly and scaring the fish away.

Quality of Experience

The worst day by far of our entire trip and one of the worst travel experiences I've ever had. Nothing about this entire day/excursion was positive. I have literally nothing good to say. It was terrible.

Food

The food at the very end was disappointing. Not a lot of options and it didn't taste great.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was clearly just some guy without any real expertise. He didn't give snorkeling lessons or tips. He didn't warn us about no soap on Maya Bay. When we arrived at Maya Bay, he specifically told us to "only bring your phone" without even mentioning there were food & drinks available for purchase (cash only) and we couldn't get back on the boat once we left.

Transport

No bathroom on the boat. For the number of people on this trip, the boat was relatively small with limited seating. It took an entire hour to travel one way.

Chiang Mai Cooking Class Experience-Small Group

Chiang Mai

My husband and I had a magnificent time at this cooking class. It was just me and him which was SO nice. We traveled with our instructor to a local market to pick out fresh ingredients. My husband has dietary restrictions and our instructor was more than willing to accommodate. We were shocked that our class included so many meals- we made one appetizer, two main courses, and dessert. Our instructor explained things very clearly and was very funny and kind. The food tasted so delicious and you get a cookbook at the end. Highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Intimate and educational experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our instructor was amazing. She was so funny and nice and knowledgeable.

Transport

Our instructor picked us up and dropped us off.

Half-day Experience Zipline at Maetonluang Village

Chiang Mai

This is an activity we specifically requested that kimkim include in our itinerary (and I picked the specific location/company after doing my own research). Staff were incredible. Views and scenery were incredible. Ziplining was so fun! I felt very safe and taken care of. The lunch buffet at the end was decent. There are bathrooms at the beginning. You traverse the ziplines with a small group. You have the option of paying a photographer to take pics & videos of you ziplining which was well worth it. They have small free storage lockers. I would highly recommend this activity and would suggest that kimkim add this into potential activities.

Quality of Experience

Such an amazing and fun experience.

Food

Lunch was included and buffet style. It was decent.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Staff were hilarious, friendly, and very knowledgeable.

Transport

Unbeknownst to us, this was a joint pick-up. Kimkim did not inform us of this. We didn't like being crammed into a van with a bunch of strangers. Not to mention, the driver came 1 hour later than scheduled/planned so we were forced to wait in the lobby for that entire duration.

Discover Angkor Wat and Floating Village - Day 1

Cambodia

Overall, this was an awesome experience. It was so cool to see a world wonder (angkor wat). Ta Prohm was probably my favorite part of this day - seeing the massive trees enveloping ancient temples was magical. However, this was an extremely long day in the heat & humidity and with direct sun exposure. I suffered from heat exhaustion.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. He was very excited to share his culture and country with us.

Transport

Our driver was amazing. He was so friendly and prompt and provided us with a seemingly unlimited supply of cold water bottles.

Exploring Bangkok by local transfers and walking tour

Bangkok

My husband and I had a good day exploring Bangkok with our lovely tour guide. We saw several temples, all of which were cool to see.

Traditional Thai Massage!

Bangkok

This activity was specifically requested by my husband and I. We really enjoyed it! Everyone was very professional and it was quite relaxing.

A visit to Mae Klong Railway market and Damnoen Saduak Floating Market!

Bangkok

This experience was so awesome! We started out at the Mae Klong Railway market. We got there right in time to see the train come in. There were a ton of stalls/vendors and we did quite a bit of shopping. Next, we went to a coconut sugar processing facility which my husband and I thought was really cool. The people there were very nice. Finally, we did the Damnoen floating market. This was our favorite! It was so beautiful. It felt like the Venice of Thailand. There were tons of vendors and really delicious foods. A very unique experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Enjoy Food Tasting in Chinatown!

Bangkok

Note: Not recommended for vegans or vegetarians. Our guide took me to Chinatown where I tried a wide array of unique food items (including jellyfish!). There were SO many food vendors selling so many different kinds of food- mostly items containing meat. I ate so much! The guide paid for everything which was nice. I had a good time.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Elephant Jungle Expedition at Chai Lai Orchid Ecolodge!

Chiang Mai

A life-changing experience. My husband and I did a private tour. Note: This particular sanctuary strives for the ethical treatment of its elephants. We started off by feeding three adult female elephants sugar cane. We were instructed by staff how to properly do this. Next, we mixed and crushed together an array of medicinal herbs to feed to the elephants for their wellbeing. Then, we took a small stroll with one of the elephants to a mother and her calf. The baby was so playful and cute and fun to watch. It kicked around a soccer ball! We then headed to the river where an elephant was bathing and we helped bathe and splash it. The water was ice cold! Our guide then made us lunch over an open fire and served it to us in a section of bamboo tree trunk. It was delicious! (Note: My husband has dietary restrictions and our guide asked about this prior to making food. He was very accommodating). We next walked a short distance to a waterfall. Finally, we took a ride on a long bamboo raft down the river. You will get wet! This was beautiful and serene. Overall, we had an amazing experience here and would highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Elephants are such majestic creatures. Spending a day with them was truly remarkable.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide at the sanctuary was humorous, knowledgeable, and friendly.

Transport

Kimkim did not inform us that this would be a group / joint transfer, which was inconsiderate and rather annoying. We didn't enjoy riding with a bunch of strangers. In addition, there was a major transport mixup due to kimkim's lack of communication. My husband and I had switched hotels the previous morning and were told by our kimkim agent that all parties were notified of this change. The kimkim itinerary said pickup was 8am. However, we weren't picked up until 9am because the driver was completely unaware of what hotel we were at. He went to 1-2 different hotels before he got the right one. He also called me twice because he was so confused, and he had thought we had just switched hotels that morning (when we had actually switched one full day ago). It was extremely frustrating because we rushed through breakfast to get to the lobby by 8am, only to have to wait for an entire hour. Kimkim's communication during this ordeal was severely lacking, and we were not given any sort of discount, refund, or even an apology for this hassle.

We had a really great time Tamarindo Diriá is a very good resort easy to access everything of interest. We were there just to get warm
from cold weather and relax and we were able to da that. The sun sets are great and we stayed in sunset rooms 2 nights . next 3 nights we stayed Tropicana rooms very nice and worth staying in. Breakfast was very good on both beach side and on tropicana side. Pick up from the Airport in Liberia and pick to return to the airport for Tamarindo Diria simple and efficient. I recommend reading up on and watching some YouTubes about the place , the culture and people it will be a much better vacation for people who have never been to Latin America. I think Americans have a bad time when
they think everything should work like the United States and it's completely different. Tamarindo is a tourist town and multi cultural have an open mind and be patient. The Costa Rica people are very nice but be very nice back and you will have a great time in that country Pura Vida Yall

We spent a week in Costa Rica in March 2025 and had an amazing time.
Right from the time we landed, we knew we were in great hands with our knowledgeable and kind driver, Alex who was a wealth of information about Costa Rica- people, culture, food etc.
We had our local tour organizer, Wilman checking on us everyday which was great.
We had excellent tour guides notably Byron at Rio Celeste and Andres at Manuel Antonio.
Our favorite was the Tapir night hike as it was the first time we were experiencing a hike in the darkness.
Overall, we loved Costa Rica and we will definitely visit again!!

Hotel Reviews

Nayara Hotel Spa and Gardens

Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rio Celeste Hideaway Resort

Bijagua

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tulemar Resort

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Río Peñas Blancas Safari Float

Arenal/La Fortuna

We recently used Kimkim for our trip to Rio de Janeiro and Foz do Iguazu. What a great experience! Bruno was our trip coordinator and did an excellent job putting together an itinerary that met all of our needs and interests. Lines of communication were open before, during and after the trip, and he was always responsive. When we arrived in Rio, our guide Luiz was waiting at the airport for us. He then took us on an amazing tour of the city over the next few days. Our first day was spent taking a relaxing afternoon and sunset boat ride around the bay. Fun drinks on board and beautiful sights to see! We of course went the next day up to Sugarloaf Mountain and then up to Christ the Redeemer, both offering beautiful views of the city. We then spent time in the Santa Teresa neighborhood visiting some sites. This neighborhood had a very cool vibe. We had lunch at the Aprazivel restaurant (which we highly recommend), and then continued on to see some local churches and the Metropolitan Cathedral which is designed like a Mayan pyramid! Another day was spent visiting the factory where they assemble the floats for Carnival. There, we also had fun trying on Carnival outfits and were entertained by a Samba dancer! Our trip, as well, to the tiled steps in Santa Teresa was a must see. These steps contain tiles from all over the world, which were very cool to look closely at. Get there early, as it's a tourist attraction! Walking around the city with Luiz was great. He was full of historical and cultural information, which we loved. It provided us great insight into what we were seeing and gave us a better appreciation for the Brazilian culture! He took us to another restaurant in town; I can't remember the name, but the food was excellent! We fell in love with the cuisine, and Luiz had plenty of recommendations on what to try! Our last day in Rio was free time, which we spent on Copacabana Beach (where we were staying right across the street at the Miramar Hotel), and we walked down to see Ipanema Beach, where we had lunch at an Italian restaurant called Il Piccolo. Rio of course has plenty of Brazilian restaurants, but also offers many other cuisines! Hanging on the beach was a lot of fun. There are plenty of vendors selling things, but they are not pushy. It was actually convenient having them there, as there was no need to bring food or drink to the beach. They brought it to you! The beach was full of tourists and locals all sitting together. It was a fun experience. One thing that we took notice of was how health conscious the locals are. Walking up the main path along the beach early in the morning, we were impressed to see the great number of joggers and cyclists going up and down the road, and the beach full of pickleball and volleyball games along with yoga classes, swimming classes and surfing classes. It was great to see!

The second half of our trip was then flying to Foz do Iguazu where we were met by our guide Edson at the airport. Edson was wonderful (just like Luiz) and provided us much information about that section of Brazil which borders Argentina and Paraguay. Seeing the falls was a very different experience than being in the city of Rio. You were out in nature (which we love) and hiked many miles on the trails around the falls. The first day was spent visiting the Argentinian side. Iguazu is the largest waterfall system in the world and should not be missed. The views are spectacular! We also did the boat ride which takes you almost under one of the falls. Bring a change of clothes with you, as you will be soaked to the skin, but it was so much fun!! The next day we toured the Brazilian side of the falls. Again, the views were incredible. We then went to Parque das Aves (the bird park) which is a beautiful sanctuary for so many colorful birds! We really loved walking around and seeing such beautiful birds living in their natural habitat. Well worth the trip! By the way, we stayed at the Bourbon Cataratas do Iguazu Thermas Eco Resort. Great selection by Bruno! After a long day of hiking around the falls, the hotel was a great place to relax poolside and have a cocktail! The food there was awesome. We highly recommend the buffet (which was high end). One night the cuisine had a pan-Asian theme. The next night was Mediterranean. Both delicious!

Overall, I think this trip to Brazil well exceeded our expectations. This is our second time using Kimkim. Last year it was Morocco. We have loved using Kimkim so much that we have booked another trip next month to Peru! We are very grateful to Bruno, Luiz and Edson. They gave us such a memorable trip, and we have been telling all our friends they need to go see Brazil (and of course use Kimkim!).

Moonika did a wonderful job planning this trip for us. Hotels were perfectly located and all the tour operators were friendly and courteous. Tours were fabulous. Overall great experience.

Mr. Ismael was our Drive, and overall Trip Guide. He was very good company - polite, knowledgeable, and very proud of his homeland!! And besides the standard highlights, he shared with us a lot of very interesting facts and tidbits, and experiences, that made the long drives very interesting and enjoyable.

Our drives through the varying terrains of the different regions in Morocco were enjoyable by themselves, besides the destinations we visited and spent time at.

While we don't quite recall the names unfortunately of the local guides who took us around individual destinations, we do remember another Mr. Ismael, who spent a whole day (our first day) with us in Marrakesh. Marrakesh was a very interesting city - with ancient mosques (the Koutoubia), palaces (the), the ancient and very quaint Islamic Learning Center (Ben Youssef Madarasa), the vast, vibrant, hugely interesting outdoor market, besides the beautiful, and VERY CLEAN street markets inside the Medina!!

As enjoyable as Marrakech was, our trip continued to become more as we traveled through Baumalme Dades, stayed at a Desert Camp close to the eastern border, drove through the Ziz valley, with its endless date palm plantations, lost ourselves in the bustle and beauty of Fez's Medina markets, then on to stately Rabat, the very quaint Chefchouen,

Huge thanks to Margarita for organizing a wonderful two week trip to Colombia. From our first interactions with Margarita through emails, to our conference call talking about our proposed itinerary, to the warm welcome at the airport, to to the constant contact with her during our trip, she was marvelous. Margarita seamlessly modified our plans based on changing circumstances and arrange for some unique personal experiences.
Our guides and drivers were top notch. Our guides were friendly, informative, patient and really understood what we were looking to experience during our trip. Our drivers were likewise wonderful people who made us feel very comfortable throughout the trip. And we certainly did not leave Colombia hungry, Margarita's suggestions for restaurants were right on target. We had some amazing dining experiences for our dinners, and enjoyed local favorites during the day.
This was my first trip to Colombia, and my preconceptions of the country were totally wrong. I will become an ambassador to my friends about the safety, beauty of the country, cleanliness, and friendliness of the people, We had the opportunity to spend most of our time in Bogota, Villa De Leyva, Medellin and Cartagena, with side trips to small villages and even a lovely boat ride to a small village island near Cartagena. I loved experiencing each of these very different places, though the temperature in Cartagena was a bit too hot for us too stay out all day. I fell in love with Villa De Leyva which is such a beautiful. peaceful old Colonial town. The outdated stereotype about safety in Colombia needs to be changed. I felt totally safe during my entire trip. I felt very comfortable to walk around the neighborhoods by my hotels.
All in all, my trip to Colombia was wonderful. Again I thank Margarita for her excellent planning and I have no hesitation to recommend KimKim as a travel agent.